The Vancouver Canucks are currently 8-2-2, which is good enough for third place in the Western Conference.

Aside from two ugly losses against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks in regulation, they have been one of hockey's most complete teams so far and are looking like a legitimate contender to hoist the Stanley Cup in June.

2. Special-Teams Play Still Needs Work

Special teams are usually a strength for the Canucks.

This season? Not at all.

The Canucks power play is currently 17th best in the league, with a mediocre 17.2 percent success rate. Last year, they owned the league's fourth best man advantage, scoring on 19.8 percent of their power plays.

Their penalty killing isn't much better, ranked 22nd in the league at a 78 percent success rate. Last year they were ranked sixth, killing off 86 percent of their penalties.

Vancouver has one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the league. There is simply no excuse to be near the bottom of the league in special teams.

Once Ryan Kesler returns, you can expect their power play and penalty kill to improve significantly, but until then, the Canucks need to reduce the unnecessary penalties and other players need to step up, especially on defense.

1. Goaltending Situation Is Still a Mystery

Prior to the season, Cory Schneider was named the Canucks' starting goaltender, while Roberto Luongo was a hot name in trade rumors.

Both goalies are still donning Canucks Jerseys, and to make matters even more baffling, Luongo and Schneider have each started six games, but Luongo has posted better numbers (stats provided by NHL.com):

Record:

Luongo: 4-0-2

Schneider: 4-2

Goals against average:

Luongo: 1.45

Schneider: 2.36

Save percentage:

Luongo: .943

Schneider: .921

It's looking more and more likely that Luongo will remain a Canuck for at least the remainder of the season.

The Canucks locked up Schneider to a three-year $12 million contract in the summer, but that hasn't handed him the No. 1 job.

Although Luongo will most likely be traded in the offseason, it still doesn't tell us who will finish the season as the main man between the pipes.

As long as Luongo keeps up his spectacular play, there's no reason for Schneider to get the nod over him.

Both goaltenders are putting up excellent numbers, but it's tough to tell which goalie gives Vancouver a better chance to win now, considering the fact Luongo has faltered in the postseason, while Schneider has only started four playoff games.

I'm thankful my name is not Alain Vigneault. He's going to have a tough decision for the final 36 games and beyond.

It will surely be one of the main story lines to follow throughout the remainder of the season.